The incident occurred just before 8:50 p.m. in the 300 block of King Street.

Officers arrived to find David Hoelzer, 45, unresponsive. He was taken to South Shore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to court papers, there had been a birthday celebration at the home of Hoelzer when he allegedly went into a rage and hit someone over the head with a chair. The documents stated that the incident sparked an altercation between the victim and his brother-in-law, John McDonough, 45, who put him in a headlock.

“Unfortunately, it’s a family tragedy,” said defense attorney, Rob Harnais. “There was a party and he got out of control and unfortunately he had to be subdued. It was a tragedy.”

Police arrested McDonough, who authorities said is a former executive with the Rugged Bear clothing company. Authorities said he was the chief operating officer until March 2011 when the company declared bankruptcy and was later sold.

McDonough was arraigned Thursday in Quincy District Court on manslaughter charges where he pleaded not guilty. He was ordered on $50,000 bail.